Fight Against Mediocrity

While on vacation recently, I overheard a couple of conversations that caught my attention. Both had a similar theme: Get ready for the worst!

The first was an older man talking to what appeared to be his adult son, sharing with him how his body would inevitably begin to deteriorate on the early side just as his (the father’s) had. He was reminded how his arthritis was likely genetic and would be passed down and that there was nothing he could do but wait for the first signs. As the conversation lingered, I realized that the arthritis was just the first in a series of unfortunate circumstances that the unfortunate son was being advised to prepare for.

The second conversation involved two married women in their late twenties or early thirties. They were comforting each other as they reminisced about the “good ole days” with their husbands when they first met and started dating. They went on to talk about having their “best years behind them” and how they were bored with their relationship and consoled each other with the words, “that’s just the way it is.” One of the women laughed and said, “My best advice is this: “Have most of your fun before you get married!” I don’t know where the conversation went from there…

Please join us in the fight against mediocrity! Watch out for others who transplant their past experiences to you, often lowering your expectations and, in effect, causing you to clinch up, preparing for the worst. This is particularly true concerning life’s common experiences such as school exams, dating, marriage, pregnancy, raising children, finances, and getting older. Learn from others’ experience, but always assume it’s going to be a lot better for you than it was for them. Remember, what you expect with confidence tends to materialize. So, be alert to the sort of mass hypnotism that goes on in our society. Think Huge!